The Next Day - Off to Clampit's Vale

(Based on the original post by 11Kestrels)

Janissa knew this was going to be a challenging mission. So did Cesar, and they both expected to run into trouble along the way, but nothing the Guild couldn't handle. Based on the reports, and the testimonies of the locals they met, it was decided that the Guild would travel to the most recent hotspot of Orcish activity, Clampit's Vale, a small village outpost that was mainly used by archeologists as a base of operations.

Clampit's Vale was nestled in Jethro Valley. The outlying flat lands were good for farming, and the wooded hills surrounding the valley were good for archeological digs. They were also, as it turned out, a great place for marauding Orcs to operate from. The Orcs never attacked the village for some odd reason, opting to pester and bother, raid and plunder the local farmers and the busy archeologists. One prominent archeologist by the name of Oriana Brimblewood had been taken captive by the Orc raiders, and several members of the farming community as well. Most of them, curiously enough, were female, as was Oriana.

The Guild arrived in Clampit's Vale by the airship that Lady Tisha Bayannon had used to travel to Deirdre the previous day, plus it was the easiest way to get there. They could have taken the trade roads, which were secured by the local militia, but they decided time was of the essence, and there were Orc raiding parties out there. No one knew for sure what these Orcs were up to, or where they might strike next. The airship sat down just outside the little village, dropped off its passengers, and with a wave of Tisha's hand, it was quickly away to continue on its journey.

Cesar looked around as they approached the village outskirts. Things at the moment were quiet enough, but he wondered if their arrival had been spotted. They would probably be mistaken for a fresh group of archeologists if anything had they been spotted by Orcs since they were headed directly to the village itself. At least that's what Cesar hoped. Cesar wanted to meet with the head of the Archeologist's Guild in the village before they did anything else. He wanted to learn as much about the latest motives of the Orcish Lady Warlord, that was now running the "Sabretooth Triad" clans, plus any allies the clans had, before drawing up any real plans of action, and he felt this was the best place to start. Later on, they would all fan out and gather as much intelligence from the local farmers as they could.

"Gather what you can from the others, then please let me know." Lady Bayannon looked to the guild leaders. "I will be in my home, watching for any new reports from the rest of the valley, as well as the king." She pointed to the small keep that was surrounded by walls, and a few watch towers. "I will inform my guards to grant you entry, should the need arise."

"As you wish, m'lady." Cesar nodded, and watched the noblewoman move off ahead of them, then the guild continued on. They walked down the main street of the village, to what was the local watering hole and meeting place called "The Golden Shovel". It was there they found several archeologists and farmers gathered together, enjoying a few rounds of the local spirits. Janx Ale was well known all throughout the continent, and it was actually brewed by the innkeeper of the Golden Shovel, one Trillian Fenchurch.

A group of prominent looking folks who sat at a table in the corner noticed the guild's arrival. An older gentleman stood up, and started walking toward them. He smiled jovially as he approached. "You must be from the Briarwolf Guild" he said, thrusting out his hand in welcome.

"Hail and well met" Cesar replied, taking the man's hand into his. "And that means you must be Professor Bartfast."

"Yes, indeed I am." He looked at the group before through his keen, penetrating blue eyes. "I don't know exactly how much we can tell you about the Orcs, since they're mostly hit and run tactics they use. I do find it quite odd though that they are abducting mostly women. But what really troubles me is the abduction of Oriana Brimblewood. She was working at a dig she thought was of great importance when she was ****. She thought she was on the verge of a great discovery."

"Can you tell us anything about this discovery?" Chimed in Janissa, a questioning look pointed at Professor Bartfast.

"Only that it had to do with some ancient ritual, or some ancient religious sect, or both. I'm afraid when they **** her, they also took her notes and her diary. There's no way of knowing for sure without talking to her." The professor stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Her dig site has been left alone since her disappearance. That might be the place to start looking for clues. I assume you have a good tracker among you?"

"That would be Trini and myself." Spoke Janissa, then she turned to Cesar. "We'll both go to the dig site. Why don't the rest of you see what information you can gather here in the village, and in the farming community as well?"

Cesar didn't hesitate to reply. "Very well. You're both experienced trackers, and there is safety in numbers." He turned to Cat. "Cat, go with the ladies. There may be some traps left by the Ancient Elves to guard whatever this Oriana may've been trying to discover."

"As you wish, m'lord." The Half-Elven rogue saluted to Cesar, then joined Janissa & Trini.

Janissa turned to the professor. "All I need to know is where to start looking."

"Her dig starts in the foothills, northwest of the village. You'll be able to see from there the extent of her dig. I'm afraid it is a rather large area."

Janissa turned to Trini. "Looks like you're with me. Ready to go?"

Trini smiled, and put her arm around Janissa's waist. "You really think you have to ask? Let's get going."